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miR-1258 is localised to the first intron of ZNF385B at chromosome 2q31.3. miR-1258 promoter methylation was studied in 147 samples including 10 normal buffy coat, eight normal bone marrow plasma cells, 16 human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs), 20 MGUS, 63 diagnostic myeloma, and 30 relapsed myeloma samples by methylation-specific PCR. In myeloma lines, miR-1258 methylation, verified by pyrosequencing, was detected in 62·5% HMCLs but not normal controls, and expression of miR-1258 correlated with that of ZNF385B. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine resulted in promoter demethylation and ZNF385B/miR-1258 re-expression. Luciferase assay confirmed programmed cell death ligand-1 (PDL1) as a direct target of miR-1258. Over-expression of miR-1258 in completely methylated myeloma cells led to reduced cellular proliferation and enhanced apoptosis, hence a tumour suppressor role, in addition to repression of PDL1. In primary samples, miR-1258 methylation, with lower expression of miR-1258, was detected in 49·2% diagnostic myeloma, imparting an inferior PFS (P = 0·034) in addition to 50·0% relapsed myeloma but not MGUS. Therefore, miR-1258 is a tumour suppressor miRNA co-regulated with its host gene, and frequently hypermethylated in active myeloma instead of MGUS, hence acquired during myeloma progression. Methylation-mediated miR-1258 silencing led to overexpression of PDL1 and inferior PFS, implicating miR-1258 in the modulation of myeloma-specific cytotoxicity., (© 2020 British Society for Haematology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell neoplasm. Pathogenesis involves upregulation of D-type cyclins and activation of oncogenes, but little is known about the role of tumor suppressor genes. Gene hypermethylation is an alternative mechanism of tumor suppressor gene inactivation. Various approaches have been used to elucidate the role of gene hypermethylation in MM, including a candidate gene approach, microarray approach for genes upregulated by hypomethylating agents, and a cancer pathway approach, which enables a comprehensive picture of the involvement of multiple tumor suppressor genes in MM. Based on the cancer pathway approach, the following data on the involvement of cell cycle control, intrinsic tumor suppressor, and cell signaling were derived. First, among the INK4 and CIP/KIP families of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, only CDKN2B and CDKN2A are frequently hypermethylated. Second, methylation of SHP1 and soluble Wnt inhibitors is associated with constitutive activation of JAK/STAT and Wnt signaling. Importantly, downregulation of the signaling pathways can be restored by demethylation and re-expression of SHP1 and soluble Wnt inhibitors, which is potentially important therapeutically. Third, of the tumor suppressor genes involved in the DAPK/P14/HDM2/P53/Apaf-1 pathway, only DAPK is frequently methylated, which appeared to be an adverse prognostic factor to survival. Lastly, apart from being implicated in the progression from monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance to MM, aberrant gene promoter methylation might also account for late disease progression in MM. Future studies are needed to delineate the biologic consequence of gene hypermethylation, the prognostic effect of gene methylation, and the possibility of hypomethylation therapy.

Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) has distinct clinicopathological and molecular features. However, the profile of aberrant gene promoter methylation is undefined. In this study, methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used to define the methylation status of a panel of nine genes, comprising p15, p16, RARbeta, oestrogen receptor (ER), E-cadherin (E-CAD), p73, caspase 8 (CASP8), VHL and MGMT, in 29 patients with APL. Aberrant methylation of p15, ER, RARbeta, p16 and E-CAD occurred, respectively, in 23 (79%), 14 (48%), six (21%), six (21%) and two (7%) patients at diagnosis, but p73, VHL, CASP8 and MGMT were not methylated in any patients. There was methylation of one gene in 13 patients (45%), two genes in four patients (14%), three genes in six patients (21%) and four genes in three patients (10%). Concurrent methylation of two or more genes occurred in 13 patients (45%). No association was identified between gene methylation and presenting clinicopathological features. However, p15 methylation was significantly associated with an inferior disease-free survival (DFS, P = 0.008), and remained the only poor prognostic factor in multivariate analysis (P = 0.019). In APL, p15, p16, ER and RARbeta were most frequently methylated. This profile is distinct from other types of myeloid leukaemias. p15 methylation has a poor prognostic impact on DFS.